How to Reduce Approval Time in Global Operations

Clear steps to cut bureaucracy, not control

By Liviu Ghiuzan

You have probably seen this happen. A change that works in one region gets stuck in another. You know the fix and could apply it in 24 hours, but the approval path might take weeks and in some cases months. While you wait, risk continues, suppliers move your order down the line, and teams lose momentum. This article shows a clear, low-cost way to speed decisions, without risking safety, brand, or compliance. In global operations, the real culprit is usually system design, not uncooperative people. Different kinds of changes, from safety to small cosmetic tweaks, are often pushed through the same heavy workflow. Low-risk corrections are treated like high-risk redesigns. Rules are copied and reworded by region until no one is sure which version is current. Legal reviews polish language instead of clarifying intent. Work is tracked across too many tools, so visibility is poor and accountability is fuzzy. The aim is not to relax standards but to route decisions to the right level, shorten the path from policy to practice, and keep suppliers engaged. If you create one global source of truth for the non-negotiables and give controlled local authority for the rest, you can protect the brand and move faster at the same time.

Why things really slow down

In large companies, delays are baked into the system. Different change types share the same gate, so minor issues queue behind major ones. Regions maintain parallel documents, and version control drifts. Stakeholders optimize for zero risk to their function, not for time to effective use. When the structure is unclear, people default to email threads and meetings. Fix the structure and execution gets easier everywhere.

One rulebook globally, smart action locally

Keep a single Global Baseline for everything that must be identical everywhere: safety and regulatory requirements, brand-critical specifications, required tests, and the audit trail. Then enable Local Delegation for contained changes that do not touch these non-negotiables. If a local decision conflicts with the baseline, the global rule wins. Local differences should carry a reason code and a review date. This gives you one source of truth while still letting teams act quickly where it is safe.

Route requests with a simple traffic light (RAG)

Use a one-page RAG model to route each request the moment it arrives. Red means central-only because it touches safety, legal or regulatory rules, restricted substances, structural integrity, electrical or flammability, or product identity. Amber allows local action within agreed tolerances, with a short veto window. Green covers trivial fixes implemented locally and logged. SLA example: classify in 4h, Amber decision 24h, Red 48–72h.

Name the people who can act (DTA)

Appoint Delegated Technical Authorities, licensed technicians or engineers to act in the Amber/Green space, with clear scope and upkeep conditions.

Move while you wait: conditional local release

Use a short evidence pack by email and samples by courier in parallel, with a 24h veto window.

Softlines example: dye-lot variance

Hardline example

Small sink mark on a non-A surface with dimensions in spec is Amber; run a marked pilot and verify on arrival.

Make time visible and keep value moving

Single board with owner, age, class, due time, supplier capacity risk; push irreversible steps late.

Measure a few things that matter

Approval time by class, time-to-effective-use, first-pass acceptance, post-release defects, supplier capacity lost, and share of local decisions.

Key Takeaway

Firm Global Baseline, controlled Local Delegation, one-page RAG, and named DTA compress approvals without touching safety or brand.